THE BLOG

There is nothing like knowing you have found the only one who can make you laugh and understand your needs when you are at your weakest. Jay and I were able to witness the depths to which these two care for each other and make it through a really intense (but fun) day! All we can say is that it was beautiful through all of it’s ups and downs and it will be a wedding we will never forget! Here is the handsome couple just taking a moment to reflect and soak in the fact that they just got married after their Hindu Ceremony. Thank you so much for trusting us with your vision and with one of the most important days of your lives together. I can’t wait to show you more! Can’t believe it’s almost been a week! #OnceUponAMistry

Aside: apologies for the radio silence – my phone decided to stop working and so I took that as an omen from the universe to concentrate on my health as I fell quite ill this week! I will begin replying to emails and inquiries soon. Just hang in there. So sorry for the delay!

Most of you know that the OOTTUM family consists of Jay, Zoey and I, but what you really don’t know is that without my immediate family and their support, we wouldn’t be able to do what we need to. They are the true backbone to OOTTUM’s success! Pictured here are my amazing parents, my sister, Deena and my brother-in-law, Pinakin. Dangling in the air is my energetic niece, Eesha who brings so much energy to our family. They are everything to me!

Today is Thanksgiving and my mother’s birthday. Whilst I was going to wait till tomorrow to make this post, I thought I’d surprise my mother with a single image from a shoot we did a couple months after Zoey was born. I was incredibly sore, but when your mum’s been waiting for years to take a family photo and your father finally agrees, you take one for the team! Happy Birthday Mum! You’re the glue that binds us all.

And before I sign off for the night, I’d like to send big warm hugs to all of our clients, family and friends who have stuck by us and believed in what we do! We love you and quite honestly, wouldn’t be here without you too! So, so thankful.

That’s right! We’re taking a tiki tour down under! We’re packing our jandals and our cameras and can’t wait to capture some wedding goodness in all of the beauty that New Zealand has to offer. Tell your friends, family, heck tell your Nana that OOTTUM wants to shoot your wedding!

We’ll be in Auckland from December 2016 to March 2017 and offering extra savings to our Collection Prices because we’re so excited to come! Can’t wait to meet you and create some magic together!

If you’re interested, please be in touch and contact us through the contact page on this website!

This quote is by A.A. Milne, and was recited by Shilpa’s younger sister, Sneha in her speech to the newly married couple at their reception yesterday. So much love was felt by their nearest and dearest, that you could easily forget about how erratic the weather was yesterday. The rain cleared for a few moments and we were pretty lucky to grab this image! I love how much they’re into each other! Congratulations again, Shilpa & Manny! We are so excited for what the future holds for the two of you. We loved every minute of working with you both and getting to know your families! They were the sweetest and really made us feel like part of your families.

We’d like to thank the entire creative team that we worked with in the morning! We couldn’t have done it without you:

As I sit here, writing this post and glance up at this image, I have to remind myself that I’m not dreaming. For the longest time I have laid my head down to slumber only to doze off into the darkness where I opened my eyes, felt the dry warm heat on my face and knelt on the hot sand adjusting the settings on my camera to capture such a couple. This past weekend, it all happened — the heat, the sand, the camera, the couple and of course the shoot in the desert. When Hiten and Golsa booked me for their wedding, we discussed flying me down there and spending a couple days creating some magic together. Arizona is a mystical place with amazing landscapes that only a photographer could dream of. The 4am wake up call, 43 degrees Celsius heat that made us sweat profusely, feeling dehydrated even after drinking several bottles of water and the arduous climbs up the dunes which made us feel like we couldn’t make it (and also reminded me that I really need to increase my cardiovascular training); but it was all worth it because I got images like this! It’s no wonder they shot a lot of the Star Wars scenes here. I could go on, but I will save it for their full post! As you can tell by the behind-the-scenes post (here), you’ll see just how varied the landscapes are. A huge thank you to Golsa and Hiten for trooping on and doing anything for the shot. You’re definitely one of my badass couples!

This is just a little magic I created with my dream team make-up & hair ladies from Blend Studio last year. I’ll be posting more from this styled shoot and a tonne more from some weddings I’m trying to finish up editing. Lots of gorgeous stuff coming soon!

This was the takeaway from Isha & Tejinder’s beautiful wedding this past weekend. For the past few months, Jay and I have learned so much about the love they share. It is one of the strongest bonds we have seen in any couple and it is the reason why they love and care so hard. We learned during their Story Love Shoot that their relationship evolved over a while, but Tej put it eloquently during his speech when he said, “Good things take time…and I’m glad I waited.” Isha was definitely worth the wait. Jay and I can’t describe just how honest and lovely their lakeside Sikh and Hindu ceremonies were and just how gorgeous their reception was last night. Their families and friends are equally kind-hearted and we feel so fortunate to get so close to them during all of the pre-wedding events leading up to the big day. Here’s just one frame from their ceremony day. My heart feel so full whenever I look at this image of them. Congratulations Isha & Tej! We can’t wait to show you the rest of your set!

When you capture the real glimpses before they turn away in laughter, it’s so rewarding. Not only do we love Shilpa and Manny because they’re just so likeable, we love them because they also love university campuses (we’re big fans of historical and modern architecture so it’s a win in our books). They travel around the world and have visited numerous universities wherever they go. It was only fitting that we do their shoot at UofT and wowzers, don’t they make it look so good! Thank you for being amazing! We can’t wait to capture more of these moments at your October wedding! We’ll post more soon! 😉

From the moment Jay and I met these two, we knew we had great chemistry together. And so when it came down to capturing their story, it all fell into place. They always find themselves in the city and so it was only natural for them to capture this time in their lives doing what they love to do. You will never meet a kinder and more understanding couple as these two — then again, we’ve been so lucky to work with so many awesome couples! Their story is one that grew slowly and because of their journey, it is one of strength and compassion. I see it in their eyes, when they hold hands and especially in the many emails we have exchanged. These two are the real deal and Jay and I are so excited to capture their wedding next week! This is just a single frame from their Story Love Shoot. More will come very soon!

Rupa and Priyesh recently got engaged and we caught their sweetest engagement ceremony and celebration. It was full of joy and of course a lot of fun. Aren’t they just the cutest couple ever? The whole time we were doing their mini-shoot, they were giggling and cracking jokes at each other. We can’t wait to capture your wedding and events in the coming year. There is so much to say, but I can’t seem to find the words. All I will say for now is that Jay and I are overly excited for all that is coming your way. Of course there are more images, but enjoy this one frame for now! Happy Sunday folks!

There are no other words to describe the pure bliss and joy that was felt when Joanne & Chitan literally tied the knot this past weekend. They have been waiting 10 long years to get married. “This feels so surreal!” They both exclaimed to Jay and I, “but we feel incredibly happy!” When we get to whisk couples away for their Mini-Love Shoot between the ceremony and reception, this is by far our favourite time to hang out with the couple. They have just said their, “I do’s”, taken a lot of family photos and received a bunch of hugs. When they’re with us, the couple finally has time to truly absorbs all that just happened and can take a moment to just be. Here’s one from Joanne & Chitan’s Mini-Love Shoot this past weekend dancing in pure exhilaration. Thank you for being amazing human beings! Can’t wait to show you more!

Ashni and Anish’s wedding day was one full of juxtaposed emotions. Ashni had a quiet experience of getting ready in the peace of her parents empty home as she had planned for everyone to ready before her, whilst Anish was completely surrounded by more and more excited family members and friends singing until they reached the ceremony site. Their day was filled with so much love it’s difficult to put into words. They couldn’t keep their eyes off each other and I don’t blame them one bit because they totally rocked their wedding day! Both of you are second to none and hold a special part of our hearts. We’re completely happy for you and can’t wait to share the rest of your images!

Feeling like they’re on top of the world (or on a hill)!
Congratulations Asha & Pratik! Jay and I have witnessed love in all shapes and forms, but what we saw before our lenses yesterday at your wedding was remarkable. The gathering of 600 of your loved ones in one room reflects just how loved you both are and truly how much love you have to share with others. You know how to cultivate relationships and we admire this the most about you both! Thank you for allowing us to capture the beginning of this new chapter in your lives together! Can’t wait to show you more photos!

On a side note, we know we’ve been quiet on our social media outlets, but be sure to follow us on OOTTUM Fine Photography’s Instagram to see more frequent updates and a few more behind the scenes images! Can’t wait for you to join the OOTTUM family! Enjoy your long weekend!

For Jay and I, this is quite a significant number in many ways. No, not because we haven’t posted anything for three months (although we do apologize for this, but we’ll explain further in some future posts.)

Foremost, we’re excited to to introduce the little being that has been keeping us busy for the last few months and has filled our hearts with more love than we could ever imagine. We’d like you to meet Zoey H. V Patel, our sweet little daughter who caught us off guard last week. We are proud parents and now OOTTUM Fine Photography has a little assistant in-training!

Here’s a little preview of Zoey’s newborn shoot. She was a mere 5 days old and while this was one of the most difficult shoots for me to do physically (because I was still so sore from delivering her), it was the most rewarding. Jay and I stared at each other and had to pinch ourselves because we were actually photographing our own child. It was quite surreal. She is a tiny little human being and so I really wanted to showcase how small she was by placing her in Jay’s hands. I will forever love this image. (And she was such a great model, though I’m being biased because she’s our kid!)

We will expand on the number ‘three’ in future posts, but we will leave you with this short note. It has been an arduous journey for Jay and I to finally be blessed with our little one. She is a gift and so we ask for everyone’s patience during the next couple months as I try to heal and we get adjusted to parenthood. If you’ve tried to contact us in the last couple weeks, we apologize for not being able to reply. We’ll try our best to respond when we can between sore muscles, feedings, poop explosions, sleepless days and nights and other fun baby responsibilities.

Until then, we send our love to everyone and can’t wait for you to meet Zoey soon!
— Joti & Jay.

(See what we did there!?!) We are hoping that you’re spending some much needed time with your loved ones and cherishing every moment you can with them. Because time spent with those dear to us means more to us than anything, especially around this time of year. Wishing everyone a ‘Hoppy’ Holiday and sending love from our family to yours.

We would also like to send a big warm thank you to everyone who sent love, support and comments on our video a few weeks back. We loved the responses we were getting and wouldn’t be here without all of the feedback as we journey forward. Since then, we have been working on new projects and editing like crazy! We’ll be putting up a few posts here and there, but until then, make sure you squeeze everyone a little tighter around this time of year! And not because it’s cold (it’s far from it, here in Toronto), but because it’s time to really cherish all of those who are closest to you!

We are so fortunate to have the best clients, who turn into friends. Every single family that we work with fill our hearts with so much joy and make our role as creatives so rewarding. We had the opportunity to capture some of Kiran and Richa’s family photos when we first started our business. In fact, they were our second clients in OOTTUM history! It was amazing to receive an email from them earlier in the year requesting to do another family shoot because their beautiful daughters have grown up so much over a couple years. We had first done a fall shoot and this time we chose to do a shoot during the later part of the summer, because just as seasons change, so do families. To be on this journey with them is incredible. We were able to observe just how much this family has evolved in only a few short years. The girls are growing into their individual personalities; Karina, being the eldest of the two is the calmer more methodical one and Raya is the younger, spunkier character of the two. They reminded me so much of my sister and I as we were growing up. I was the quiet, obedient older child and my sister was the crazy, overly energetic kid who never listened. All of that changed though once we hit middle school and started to learn more about ourselves. I can’t wait to see how these girls develop over the years. Kiran and Richa never seem to age and their genuine hearts keep amazing us every time we see them. It was amazing spending the day with their whole family again. I can’t wait to continue this journey and help fill their walls with memories upon memories upon memories…..

Weddings are many things. Some are perfectly coordinated and put a strong emphasis on the tangible details, whilst others focus more on the relationships and time spent with those closest to the couple. Larissa and Graeme’s wedding was one that had a perfect balance of both and it was beautiful to witness. These two are bonded to each other and their closest friends and family members by their faith, honesty and ability to ‘geek out’. The immense musical talent and deep yearning for meaningful prose was felt by everyone in attendance and gave a sense of deeper purpose. A little while after Larissa and Graeme sealed their marriage with a kiss, we snuck away for a few photos in the frigid cold. We love couples who do anything to make sure they get their portraits. It was minus five degrees and they worked the camera like it was a balmy 25 degrees celsius. I love how Graeme looked over at Larissa in her beautiful blush pink wedding gown in this one. Sigh…they are so gorgeous together and the property at the Caledon Country Club was perfectly golden at this time of year! I can’t wait to share more! Happy Monday Everyone! It’s going to be a great week!

He was always the one who stood out. His charismatic personality and desire to always make people laugh and have a good time was evident at every event he attended. This here, my friends is Chiman. He turned 65 last year, but celebrated it this year because family concerns trump any celebration. It just tells you what kind of man he is. Here’s one frame from the dance floor of Chiman enjoying a moment with his friends! I love a good dance party…and especially love it when people just let loose and be themselves. More fun to come! Happy Wednesday everyone!

I remember when you were this tiny at just five days old. So much had happened months before you arrived. You helped the family heal in a way that set aside our grief and worries even if it was only during the moments that you coo’d at us and made your little mousy sounds when you slept. Being your Masi and Masa (maternal aunt and uncle) has been a complete blessing and we are so excited to watch you journey through life. We love it when you call us ‘Masi’ & ‘Mada’, and ask us to ‘colour colour’ with you (even though it bothers me when you break your crayons in multiple pieces and peel off all of the wrappers). We love it when you grab our hands and pull us to an open space when a House track or other fun song comes on and make us dance with you! I’ve never seen a toddler dance and pick up choreography like you…and can’t wait to show you how to B-girl and House Dance your way into people’s hearts. You are a special kid! And we cherish and love ya to bits!

We have met with a lot of couples, and have witnessed all different kinds of love. Every so often we meet a couple who love with no abandon. Reva and Sid put their hearts out there because they know they’ve found the ‘one’ in each other; it’s the reason why their love appears so natural, because it is. Their wedding day was one that Jay and I will never forget. Everything ran smoothly and the weather, though it rained, didn’t affect their day at all. They had two beautiful first looks, a wedding party that was incredible to work with, immediate families so welcoming that you felt like one of their own, an amazing latin first dance by the couple and unbelievable speeches, namely by Reva’s brother, Jason who did a powerpoint presentation and speech that was endearing, poignant and hilarious. One of the best speeches we’ve heard in a long time! We didn’t want their day to end! Here’s one frame from Reva and Sid’s mini-shoot prior to their reception. I can’t take credit for this one. I asked Jay to grab an umbrella from inside and on his way back, he saw an opportunity and composed this shot perfectly from above while I was shooting across from them. I loooove this shot and am so jealous that I didn’t take it! They looked stunning at both parts of their day, but it was their open hearts that were glowing brighter with each hour that passed on their day.

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We have been so privileged to photograph so many beautiful stories. If you'd love to share yours with us, send us a message. Please include important dates, events, locations, venues and any other information you feel is important for us to know about you and your events. We can't wait to hear about you and your story! Have an awesome day!

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